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<\/a>Cubans roll their eyes when Fidel, or Raul, or whatever Castro is pontificating for 6 hours on the merits of their current government.\u00c2\u00a0 The English and the Spanish take the follies of their royalty with more humor than grace.\u00c2\u00a0 Most take their governments and political parties with a grain of salt.\u00c2\u00a0 Hongkongers just get cool jobs and fancy cars.<\/p>\n
I’ve spent enough time in Hong Kong to see patterns emerge– extraordinarily expensive things, nestled among shops charging $3 for a meal.\u00c2\u00a0 More Teslas and Bentley’s than I’ve ever seen, that constantly have to stop for yet another old lady hauling sticks across the road on a wheelbarrow (I don’t know where from; there are no woods here).\u00c2\u00a0 After a few weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m in some sort of Truman Show.\u00c2\u00a0 Everyone’s got their TV tuned into the reality show that hosts the Aldy Chronicles<\/strong><\/em>, where I’m just given enough crumbs to piece together a version of reality that doesn’t quite make sense.<\/p>\n Take for instance this picture of a store in the high end section of town: They always have a sale going on, the prices are extravagant, and I’ve seen ZERO customers in three weeks.\u00c2\u00a0 I think the store front has been designed specifically for me, because it sure isn’t for making money or selling anything.<\/p>\n Or take for instance the high end Italian clothing store I walk by every day.\u00c2\u00a0 Looks beautiful.\u00c2\u00a0 The owner tries to look busy every time I wave, yet the only customer I’ve seen is the owner from the other shop.\u00c2\u00a0 Seriously folks, two barbers can’t make money by cutting each others’ hair– it’s basic economics.\u00c2\u00a0 You can’t even be a Marxist and make this work on paper.<\/p>\n How about this shop specializing in electronic scales from the 1960s? I know for a fact that rent in this neighborhood is at least $5000\/month for this tiny enclave of stupidity.\u00c2\u00a0 Even though this store’s shopkeeper must have the record for the longest amount of time spent sleeping in a plastic chair with an upright head, let’s assume for a brief moment that he sells one $5 scale a week (highly doubtful since I’ve never actually seen him awake).\u00c2\u00a0 Considering there are 20 shops around, in less than 5 months, our Asian Warren Buffet will have grossed $100, and unless the scales self destruct twice a year, he’s effectively sold his merchandise to every conceivable customer, to which he can’t sell again.\u00c2\u00a0 The math doesn’t add up.<\/p>\n And meanwhile, here are these entrepreneurs’ cars:<\/p>\n I don’t know what Kool-Aid people are drinking here.\u00c2\u00a0 It may be the Kool-Aid of mass destruction Americans drink, or it may be that this is all for my benefit, because the one time I ventured to look outside the confines of the “pretty” street, I was immediately entertained by two very friendly policemen asking me for my passport while they stuck their hands in my pockets searching for I don’t know what.\u00c2\u00a0 But that… is a story for another time…<\/p>\n I would love to hear everyone’s comments on this.<\/p>\n I’ve always known that I am not good at economics or world politics, but I am pretty good at basic arithmetic.\u00c2\u00a0 I may not be able to tell you why, but I am pretty good at pointing out inconsistencies. Ask my friends, I can find Waldo in 5 seconds flat– every time. When I first … Continue reading The Kool-Aid of Politics, Hong Kong, and Texan gentlemen farmers<\/span> <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>